For a DJ who typically thrives in dance music, Paul Oakenfold resolutely steps away from the pedantic strains of trance and lets loose a downtempo reconfiguration of hip-hop, trip-hop, trance, and rock on Bunkka. The album isn’t necessarily revolutionary, but with the likes of Ice Cube, Nelly Furtado, Tricky, and Grant Lee Philips, it certainly deserves accolades for innovation. The opening track, "Ready Steady Go," is reminiscent of The Crystal Method, with vocals from Asher D. "Southern Sun" features eastern guitar and keyboards, accompanied by Carla Werner’s angelic voice. Perry Farrell brings a darker quality to the album – repeatedlyasserting "This is the time of your life," while simultaneously questioning his own sanity and self-worth. Interesting.

"Hypnotised" features vocals by Tiff Lacey, who sounds like every other female trance vocalist, but maybe that’s because the song sounds suspiciously like every other trance track. It’s surprising, actually, that this song cribbed a spot on the album, considering Oakenfold seems to be relaying the message, "Even though I have more dough than is necessary to subsist, I, too, can attempt a variety in my creative work and increase my sales." "Zoo York," on the other hand, is a nice matriculation from trance to trip-hop with slight intonations of Delerium/Enigma-like influences, accompanying what sounds like a small quartet. Hunter S. Thompson makes an appearance on "Nixon’s Spirit," but not until after we hear the phone message his publicist left Oakenfold, explaining how interested Thompson is in collaborating. Showing off his people skills?

Perhaps one of the songs that deserves the most credit is "Hold Your Hand" featuring the Esthero-like Emiliana Torrini, a gem of a vocalist whose sounds are inspirational, if not crucial, for originality.

But unfortunately this album isn’t very consistent. Maybe Oakenfold intended an album for these purposes, knowing that his fans will expect a 45-minute LP of similar tracks rather than 10 different styles, and it works. Sort of. You can get lost in the amount of variety he provides, and it’s a bit strange to sympathize with one woman(what woman?) as she laments her solitary fate, only to hear a jarring Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town spitting "Freaky deaky star speckles and pink butterflies and life is nice so nice/ I walked into a club and I found paradise." Right. What? "Starry Eyed Surprise" is followed by an Ice Cube spot on "Get Em Up," a track with great beats, and awful lyrics, much like its predecessor. Is this what Ice Cube has been doing all this time? "Motion," on the other hand, is a nice departure from the previous two tracks and an example of what Oakey is best at – innovative beats and lofty vocals -- and not burgeoning hip-hop or rock.

Grant Lee Philips emits a beautifully meditative vocal current, the kind that produces a track that can be enjoyed in the corner couch as well as the Ecstasy-laden club. "The Harder They Come," featuring Nelly Furtado and Tricky, is a momentous duet between two opposing vocal forces. I’ve been tired of Nelly since her celebrity inception, and yet she provides an amazing cerebral addition to the song while Tricky does his typical repetitive sexual growl in the background.

Perhaps it was an ill-fated idea for Oakenfold to take this musical excursion, but with his Messiah status he can obviously afford to take epiphanic risks.

Yasmin Tabi